1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electronic camera. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic camera having an automatic electric flash function.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electric flash apparatus having an amplifying circuit is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-84489. The amplifying circuit receives image signals generated from light beams reflected from an object and amplifies the image signals with different gains. The amount in which light should be emitted to the object to photograph it is calculated from the image signals thus amplified. Hence, light can be emitted in an optimal amount to the object. However, underexposure may occur if the amount of light emitted to the object is insufficient, because the gain is fixed in the process of photographing the object.
A digital camera has been proposed, in which the gain is changed in accordance with the distance to the object in order to increase the distance for which the electric flash apparatus may emit light in an optimal amount (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-134533). The flash apparatus may not emit light in an optimal amount, because no preliminary light emission is performed to calculate the best possible amount of light which should be emitted to the object.